Merlin Entertainments Group acquires Italy's Gardaland

The company behind Legoland and the London Dungeon is close to expanding its attractions empire with the €500 million (£340 million) purchase of the largest theme park in Italy. Merlin Entertainments Group, headed by chief executive Nick Varney, is understood to have agreed terms on a deal to buy Gardaland, situated on the edge of Lake Garda in northern Italy.